Already 65 percent of travelers from Sumatra have crossed to Java, the return flow is smoother

The Eid back-flow period is almost over. The port and the Merak-Jakarta toll road were quiet, as was the reverse direction.

KOMPAS/ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

Passengers wait for the ferry to dock at Merak Harbor, Banten, Tuesday (16/4/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The return flow of crossings from Port Bakauheni to Merak Harbor has already arrived. starting to get quiet, Tuesday (16/4/2204). Traffic flow on the Merak-Jakarta Toll Road is also smooth. Already 65 percent of travelers have returned from Sumatra to Java and the remainder is expected to be distributed throughout this week.

During the final days of the post-Eid al-Fitr travel wave in 2024, the port of Merak in Banten was observed to be empty, at least since Tuesday morning until noon. There were only a few travelers crossing, both heading to Merak and Bakauheni in Lampung.

No more long queues of vehicles. The queue only occurs when vehicles take turns entering the ferry deck.

Based on data from PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero), more than half of the travelers have returned to Java from Sumatra. This is reflected in the number of crossings from Bakauheni Harbor to Merak which were observed to be busy smoothly. Homecomers returning to Java from Sumatra have reached 65 percent, while the proportion of vehicles reached 66 percent of the total movement during the homecoming flow.

"The return flow has slowed down. We estimate that homecoming travelers and vehicles that have not returned will be evenly distributed until the end of this weekend, considering that some employees may take a long holiday leave during this Idul Fitri holiday period," said the Corporate Secretary of PT ASDP, Shelvy Arifin.

KOMPAS/SUCIPTO

Corporate Secretary of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero), Shelvy Arifin, gave a statement at the Executive Dock of Merak Port, Banten, on Saturday (6/4/2024).

He appreciates the passengers who comply with the rules of booking ferry tickets far in advance. They arrive at the port according to the schedule listed on their ticket. Ticket-holding travelers who arrived at Bakauheni Port reached 98.2% for the period of the Eid holiday from the day of the event until three days later.

The Bakauheni ASDP post recorded that on Monday (15/4) from 00.00 to 23.59 or H+4 of Eid al-Fitr, there were 35 operating ships, which was fewer than the peak of the return flow on Sunday (13/4), which was 37 units.

Shelvy continued, the realization of passengers returning from Sumatra to Java from the first day of Eid until four days after reached 546,139 people. This quantity is equivalent to 65 percent of the total number of passengers who departed from Java during the previous homecoming period, which recorded 835,718 people.

The total number of vehicles that returned from Sumatra to Java, cumulatively on day H to H+4, amounted to 129,161 units or 66 percent of the total vehicles during the exodus. At that time, there were 196,287 units crossing from Java to Sumatra.

Meanwhile, Pelabuhan Panjang in Lampung, which serves pilgrims heading to Pelabuhan Ciwandan in Banten, is reported to have been utilized by thousands of pilgrims. "Accumulatively, it has served 5,986 pilgrims and 2,756 vehicles, counted from April 12 to April 15, 2024," said Shelvy.

KOMPAS/ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

Smooth traffic flow on the Jakarta-Merak Toll Road kilometer 14, Tangerang City, Banten, Tuesday (16/4/2024).

Merak-Jakarta Toll Road Runs Smoothly

The traffic flow on the Merak-Jakarta Toll Road, as well as in the opposite direction, is already smooth. The streets are dominated by large trucks that have started operating again after previous operational restrictions during the Eid holiday exodus. Starting from today, freight transportation can operate after 8 a.m.

The rest area at Kilometer 68 is also quiet. Apart from homecoming travelers, there are also travelers who travel from Anyer, Banten. The rest area at Km 14 looks busy, although some of it is filled with workers and large trucks, not travelers.

A truck driver from Lampung, Een (35), was transporting chickens to Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta. His journey from Bakauheni Port to Merak went smoothly without any traffic congestion.

"Thank God, the traffic is smooth, maybe because it's still daytime. The queue at Bakauheni earlier wasn't long, only waited for about 30 minutes. That was just waiting for the ship. After that, we directly boarded the ship," he said at the rest area on Jakarta-Tangerang Toll Road at kilometer 14.

According to traffic data released by the Indonesian National Police on Monday (April 15), the volume of traffic entering Jakarta through the Merak Toll Gate is still higher than the number of vehicles leaving. It was recorded that 4,251 vehicles left, while 7,616 vehicles entered.

The Head of the Public Information Sub-Task Force, Commissioner of Police Harry Goldenhardt, urged the public to drive safely. Physical health needs to be prioritized in order to be able to drive in prime condition. In addition, drivers must check the condition of their vehicles when they return home.

"Make sure to obtain information related to the return flow from the Traffic Corps (Korlantas) of the Indonesian National Police as well as field officers, and follow directions correctly," said Harry.